impressive—and though he filled out the expensive, tailored suit perfectly, it looked like a shield from a world he didn’t belong in. He appeared to be fighting his natural instinct, hiding something in the darkness to seem civilized in public.
“Like what you see?” His voice was a sensual Scottish burr, and it had me shooting my gaze to his face.
He didn’t look at all like he was joking, and there was no hint of a smile on his cruel mouth.
Cruel because his lips were temptation. Full and rich. Designed perfectly to drive hopeless women to the brink of stupidity.
He was too angular, too sure of his countenance to be anything but assertive, and it was clear he wore his natural confidence better than he wore a suit.
Desire pulsed low in my body.
“Cat got your tongue?” he pressed.
His tone did not come out teasing, as if he couldn’t be bothered with banter.
It made my spine snap straight. I would not give him the satisfaction of retreating, of trying to lie and pretend I hadn’t been physically assessing him. If I was interviewing to be a high-class call girl, then why not practice the art of flirtation on a complete stranger I’d never see again?
I took a sip of my water and dropped my chin so that I could look up at him through the sweep of my lashes. “Yes. I think I do like what I see.”
He clenched his carved jaw and refused to turn his eyes away from mine. If anything, his gaze darkened. The mood transformed from stormy to tempest.
What would he be like unleashed?
The fear of the Foscari and the complete lack of control over my own life, the crossroads I was at, all melded together in a stew of lust which I hadn’t felt in far too long. I was ready to do something dangerous.
I wanted to lean toward this stranger, place my lips against his, and get lost in the feel of him for a few hours. It was out of character, it was destructive, it was playing with gasoline and a lighter.
The bartender returned with a platter of bone marrow and set it in front of the man next to me. “Compliments of the house,” he said. “Would you like something to drink?”
“SINNNERS neat. Thank you.”
After the bartender set the glass of amber liquid on a coaster, he said, “Enjoy.” He moved away to the other end of the bar to talk to another patron.
The stranger scooped up a dollop of marrow and placed it on a slice of grilled Tuscan bread.
“Do you eat?” he asked.
My mouth flickered up in amusement. “On occasion. Why? Are you asking me to dinner?”
He looked at me. “Why go to dinner when there’s food in front of us right now?” The man took his bread plate and set down the grilled Tuscan bread slathered with bone marrow and placed it in front of me.
“Are you adventurous?” he asked.
I boldly met his gaze. “Are we still talking about food?”
His jaw clenched again and the muscles near his neck pulsed lightly, and without bothering with a piece of bread, he spooned out the bone marrow and slid it between his lips.
I picked up what he’d set in front of me and took a bite. The bone marrow tasted like rich, decadent sin sliding down my throat. With my eyes focused on him, I couldn’t help but wonder how he tasted.
I devoured the bone marrow in a few bites, not caring how it came across. As I ate, he watched me with resolve.
“If I didn’t have a very important business meeting soon, I’d ask if you wanted to get a hotel suite for the afternoon.”
“Just the afternoon?” I breathed.
He nodded slowly.
My nipples tightened as a shot of desire zinged through my veins, and a gentle throbbing pulsed between my legs.
He leaned forward ever so slightly toward me. “What are you doing later tonight?”
The reality of my circumstances, and the fact that I was waiting to finish an interview to become a high-class escort came crashing back, effectively obliterating the bubble of desire I would’ve gladly remained in.
“I’m busy.”
“Too bad.” His cell phone rang and he reached into his breast pocket to pull it out. He looked at me, his blue-gray eyes hard when moments ago they’d been openly lustful. “When you change your mind, leave your name and number with the front desk of the hotel.”
He got up from his stool, and without a backward glance, put the phone to his ear